MBT
Switzerland
MBT, short for Masai Barefoot Technology, is a Swiss rocker-bottom health shoe brand created by Karl Mueller. The marketing company Swiss Masai was founded in 1996, and MBT later went through insolvency in 2012. Its present ownership could not be verified, so it is described cautiously here.
| Marketing company founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Karl Mueller |
| Name | Masai Barefoot Technology |
| Insolvency | May 2012 (per Moneycab) |
| Segment | Health footwear |
What is MBT?
MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology, a rocker-bottom shoe design intended to mimic walking on soft ground. It was created by the Swiss inventor Karl Mueller and became a well-known health and fitness shoe concept in the 2000s.
History
According to Wikipedia, Mueller founded Swiss Masai in 1996 to market the shoe concept, a company now called Masai Marketing and Trading AG, and a patent reference for the design dates to 1998. He left the company in 2007 on amicable terms, while a Moneycab interview says he left in 2006 after disagreements with minority shareholders over a softer next-generation design. He then founded kybun to market an air-cushion shoe.
The same interview states that MBT filed for bankruptcy in May 2012 and that its patents, licences and infrastructure then belonged to a Singapore entrepreneur. The sources consulted do not describe the brand's current owner, so no group is named in this profile.
Products and positioning
MBT shoes were built around a curved sole and were marketed as a way to train posture and muscles during everyday walking. Kybun's founder has said that the two product concepts are different, since kybun uses a soft air-cushion sole rather than a rocker sole.
Why it matters
MBT is a case study in how a single technical concept can build a global footwear brand quickly, and how dependent such a brand can be on its inventor, its investors and its patents. Its inventor's later brand, kybun, is part of the kybun Joya Group.
Frequently asked questions
What does MBT stand for?
MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. It is a rocker-bottom shoe concept created by the Swiss inventor Karl Mueller.
Who owns MBT?
The sources consulted do not confirm current ownership. A 2012 interview said MBT's patents, licences and infrastructure then belonged to a Singapore entrepreneur after its bankruptcy.